Method for testing baking strength of flour

Abstract

A procedure is described for determining the overall performance of a flour in baked goods, i.e. for determining the baking strength of the flour so that a baker may compensate for the same when preparing baked goods with the flour.

I claim: 
     
       1. A method of testing the baking strength of a flour which comprises: (a) preparing a mixture of said flour and water;   (b) adding a small amount of a source of small ions selected from the group consisting of K + , Na + , H +  and NH 4   +  to said mixture;   (c) thereafter adding a small amount of an oxidizing agent to the resulting mixture to form a colored reaction product in the resulting composition;   (d) gently heating the resulting composition to a temperature below the gelatinization temperature of said composition;   (e) observing the disappearance of color and the temperature at which this occurs in said composition and the opacity of said composition;   (f) discontinuing the gentle heating of said composition and thereafter observing the volume of precipitate which forms after said gentle heating its discontinued and the color has disappeared from said composition;   (g) comparing said observations with corresponding observations of a flour of known baking strength; and   (h) adjusting a mixture to be baked with said flour in accordance with the results of said comparison.   
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1 wherein the oxidizing agent is iodine and the source of small ions is KCl. 
     
     
       3. The process of claim 1 wherein the adjustment of recipe includes addition of gluten to flour found to have weak baking strength and deletion or reduction of gluten from flour showing greater baking strength than those in prior use.